Norris took pole position in Sprint Qualifying in Miami

Lando Norris won his first pole position of the season leaving Mercedes behind for the first time this year. The session took place under hot conditions and it was calm as there were no interruptions.

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SQ1

Most of the cars were out right from the beginning for the first part of the Sprint Qualifying. After four minutes of SQ1 Lance Stroll caused a yellow flag. He stopped off track in Turn 17 but managed to get his car going back into the pits but the cars behind him had to abort their fast laps. The session was over for Stroll as he didn’t return back on the track.

Lando Norris won the first part with Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri behind. Both Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon in Haas faced problems in their fast laps and the Qualifying ended for them.

Eliminated in SQ1: Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Sergio Perez (Cadillac), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

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Charles Leclerc Ferrari F1 Miami 2026 F1 season

SQ2

Five minutes into SQ2 Leclerc took the lead with time 1:28:470. Oscar Piastri in McLaren was right behind with gap 0.036 seconds. With one minute remaining all cars were out except for Piastri who was later joined by both Ferraris.

As no one was able to set a faster time at the end of Q2 the top positions were taken by Leclerc, Piastri and Hamilton. Eliminated Carlos Sainz wasn’t happy with the performance and reported to the team: “We are three steps behind where we should be, every lap.”

Eliminated in SQ2: Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Alexander Albon (Williams), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

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SQ3

The cars went out only 4 minutes and 30 seconds before the end. With one minute remaining George Russell topped the standings but Lando Norris in McLaren quickly set a time which was 0.6 seconds faster and Russell then dropped down to sixth place.

Norris took the pole position with the championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Norris’ teammate Piastri behind. Right after the session Norris commented, according to the official Formula 1 website: “Perfect result for us, nice way to reward the team. We have some upgrades on the car and it was nice to feel some grip again. Just the beginning of the weekend, but a nice result for us.”

Sprint Qualifying results:

1st – Lando Norris (McLaren)

2nd – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.222

3rd – Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.239

4th – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.370

5th – Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – +0.592

6th – George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.624

7th – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.749

8th – Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +1.451

9th – Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) – +1.553

10th – Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1.605

11th – Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +2.125

12th – Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +2.150

13th – Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team) – +2.247

14th – Alexander Albon (Williams) – +2.347

15th – Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +2.355

16th – Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +2.704

17th – Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +3.174

18th – Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team) – +3.376

19th – Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – +3.386

20th – Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – +3.957

21st – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +13.442

Tickets for F1 Miami available HERE!

Karin Gerlová

Karin is a journalism student at Palacký University with a focus on motorsport coverage. She specializes in reporting on Formula One and MotoGP, bringing fans closer to the action on and off the track. Her goal is to create articles that are not only informative, but also relatable and easy to understand, helping audiences connect with stories in a natural and meaningful way.